Tiruchirappalli: A Tamil Nadu Police officer has been arrested after he kicked a motorcycle on a busy road, forcing a pregnant woman who was riding pillion to fall and die, officials said on Thursday.

The four-month pregnant woman, identified as Usha, was killed after crashing on the road in this city on Wednesday, triggering huge protests. The officer was taken into custody later. The 30-year-old woman wore no helmet.

"It is a clear case of murder. The traffic police initially allowed us to go. But this official chased us and kicked the bike, resulting in my wife's death," her husband Raja, who was riding the bike without a helmet, told a television channel on Thursday.